The effects of ecology and behavior on the evolution of coloration in Coraciiformes

What drives the evolution of plumage color in birds? Bird color is likely to be under both natural and sexual selection where natural selection may favor evolution toward crypsis or camouflage whereas sexual selection may favor evolution toward conspicuousness. The responses to selection are predicted to relate to species' ecology, behavior, and life history. Key hypotheses have focused on habitat and light environment, breeding strategy, territoriality, and hunting behavior. We tested these potential causes of color variation in the Coraciiformes, a colorful clade of non-passerine birds, using phylogenetic comparative methods and data on chromatic and achromatic properties of plumage coloration measured from museum specimens. We found that correlates of color evolution in Coraciiformes vary across body regions and depend on the focal color property (chromatic or achromatic properties of plumage coloration). While the light environment showed widespread effects on coloration in multiple body regions for both color properties, selection pressures related to behavioral characteristics had more spatially localized effects (e.g. territoriality on achromatic properties of wing feathers and hunting strategy on chromatic properties of belly feathers). Our results reveal both general patterns that may hold across other bird clades and more nuanced effects of selection that are likely to be mediated through the visual ecology of the signaler and receiver and the behavioral characteristics of Coraciiform species. Comparing plumage color across species of kingfishers and their relatives, we show that habitat lighting conditions are an important factor shaping bird coloration. Differences in species behavior and ecology had more localized effects on particular body regions, with wing brightness evolving in response to territoriality and belly color being influenced by hunting strategy.

Automated summary

The evolution of bird plumage color is influenced by both natural and sexual selection. Natural selection may favor evolution towards crypsis or camouflage, while sexual selection may favor evolution towards conspicuousness. The response to selection is related to the species' ecology, behavior, and life history. Our study on the Coraciiformes, a clade of colorful non-passerine birds, reveals that the correlates of color evolution vary across body regions and depend on the type of color property.